Films
Hot Docs 2018 Women Directors: Meet Shameela Seedat — “Whispering Truth to Power”
Shameela Seedat is a human rights law specialist turned filmmaker from South Africa. Since she began documentary filmmaking, Seedat has been commissioned by various local and international...
Naomi Watts to Topline Claire McCarthy’s Mother-Daughter Drama “Burning Season”
Naomi Watts and Claire McCarthy are re-teaming for a new project. Their last venture, a revisionist take on Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” told from the perspective of Ophelia, made its world premiere...
Hot Docs 2018 Women Directors: Meet Joannie Lafrenière — “Snowbirds”
Joannie Lafrenière is a photographer and director based in Montreal, Canada. Her credits include “The Woman Who Saw the Bear,” which has been shown in major festivals across Canada and...
Hot Docs 2018 Women Directors: Meet Almudena Carracedo — “The Silence of Others”
Almudena Carracedo directed and produced her debut feature, the Emmy-winning documentary “Made in L.A.” She also directed the award-winning short “Welcome, A Docu-Journey of Impressions.”...
Hot Docs 2018 Women Directors: Meet Beatrice Behn— “The Artist & the Pervert”
Beatrice Behn is Senior Film Critic and Editor-in-Chief of Kino-Zeit, the largest German language film magazine for arthouse and independent film. “The Artist & The Pervert” is her first...
Hot Docs 2018 Women Directors: Meet Katja Fedulova — “Faith Hope Love”
Katja Fedulova has been working since 2004 as a freelancer, cinematographer, and director for advertising, documentary, and feature films. “Faith Hope Love” will premiere at the 2018 Hot Docs...
Hot Docs 2018 Women Directors: Meet Elwira Niewiera — “The Prince and the Dybbuk”
Elwira Niewiera’s last feature documentary, “Domino Effect,” was shown at more than 50 festivals and received many awards. She is a member of the Polish Film Academy. “The Prince and the...
Allison Janney Joins Viola Davis in Bert & Bertie’s “Troupe Zero”
More stars from “The Help” are reuniting. Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer have a holiday comedy in the works, and now comes word that Allison Janney is joining the cast of “Troupe...
Hot Docs 2018 Women Directors: Meet Shasha Nakhai — “Take Light”
Shasha Nakhai is a filmmaker based out of Toronto with Compy Films and Storyline Entertainment. Her award-winning films have screened at festivals and aired on TV worldwide. Her last film with...
Hot Docs 2018 Women Directors: Meet Jessica Leski — “I Used to Be Normal”
Jessica Leski wrote, directed, and co-edited her first full-length documentary, “The Ball.” The film won a Hugo Television Award at the Chicago International Film Festival. Leski’s short films...
Trailer Watch: Gemma Arterton Leaves Her Family Behind in “The Escape”
Gemma Arterton plays a stay-at-home mom pushed to the brink in “The Escape.” When Tara finds herself dealing with depression, she’s told it’s just “a phase” and her self-absorbed husband...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Assia Boundaoui — “The Feeling of Being Watched”
Assia Boundaoui is an Algerian-American journalist and filmmaker based in Chicago. She has reported for BBC, NPR, Al Jazeera, VICE, and CNN and was the recipient of a first place Mark of Excellence...
Trailer Watch: Laura Dern Revisits Her Past in Sexual Abuse Drama “The Tale”
“The story you’re about to see is true — as far as I know,” says Laura Dern in a trailer for “The Tale.” Jennifer Fox’s film memoir centers on a filmmaker named Jennifer (Dern) who...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Nia DaCosta — “Little Woods”
Nia DaCosta has written and directed projects for stage, film, and new media platforms. “Little Woods” is her debut feature. “Little Woods” premiered at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival on...
Cannes 2018: Agnès Varda Film to Screen in Classics Program, Cinéfondation Jury Is 60% Female
Cannes has announced another program for its 2018 edition. Featuring iconic movies and works from renowned filmmakers, the Cannes Classics category is a celebration of the history of film. The fest...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Andrea Nevins — “Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie”
Andrea Nevins is an Academy Award-nominated, Emmy award-winningdirector, producer, and writer. Her credits include “The Other F Word” and “Play it Forward” “Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking...
Trailer Watch: Jessica Chastain Paints Chief Sitting Bull in “Woman Walks Ahead”
Jessica Chastain embarks on an ambitious journey in a new trailer for Susanna White’s “Woman Walks Ahead.” Based on a true story, the drama is set in the 1880s and sees her playing Catherine...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Yolanda Ramke — “Cargo”
Yolanda Ramke is an award-winning screenwriter and director. In 2013, she wrote the short film “Cargo” and co-directed with Ben Howling. It garnered almost 14 million views on YouTube. She...
Women Supporting Women: Crowdfunding Picks
“F1”: Instagram The Sisters are doing it for themselves. A successful crowdfunding campaign often means assembling a team of badass women creatives, communicating a clear vision, and engaging...
Trailer Watch: Vera Farmiga Reunites with Her Dad in Shana Feste’s “Boundaries”
A trailer has dropped for “Boundaries,” Shana Feste’s portrait of a complicated relationship between a daughter and father. Laura (Vera Farmiga) doesn’t see her dad (Christopher Plummer) as...
Quote of the Day: Melissa McCarthy Talks Negotiating and Equal Pay
Melissa McCarthy is known for her sense of humor, but her business savvy has also played a major part in landing her among the world’s highest-paid actresses. In a candid conversation with...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Liz Garbus — “The Fourth Estate”
Liz Garbus is an Emmy and Peabody award-winning filmmaker whose film “What Happened, Miss Simone?” opened the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, received a Peabody Award, and was nominated for an...
Ava DuVernay to Be Honored at GLAAD Media Awards
Ava DuVernay is having a remarkable year. She’s been named the NAACP Image Awards’ Entertainer of the Year, received the PGA’s Visionary Award, been brought on to the Cannes Jury, debuted her...
Trailer Watch: Constance Wu and Michelle Yeoh Face Off in “Crazy Rich Asians”
When Rachel Chu (Constance Wu, “Fresh Off the Boat”) finds out her boyfriend, Nick Young (newcomer Henry Golding), is crazy rich — like the Prince Harry of Asia rich — she takes it...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Haifaa Al-Mansour — “Mary Shelley”
Haifaa Al-Mansour is the first female filmmaker in Saudi Arabia, and is regarded as one of its most significant cinematic figures. The success of her 2005 documentary, “Women Without Shadows,”...
Clea DuVall’s Rom-Com “Happiest Season” Acquired by TriStar Pictures
Clea DuVall is set to direct her first studio pic. The “Veep” actress will helm “Happiest Season,” a romantic comedy that’s been acquired by TriStar Pictures. A press release announced...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Susanna Nicchiarelli — “Nico, 1988”
Susanna Nicchiarelli has written and directed many short films, documentaries, and two features: “Cosmonaut,” winner of the Controcampo award at the Venice Film Festival, and “Discovery at...
UK Labour Party Pushes for Inclusion Riders on Films and TV Claiming Tax Relief
The focus on inclusion riders — that is, contract clauses that ensure projects have diverse casts and crews — has made its way across the pond. Deadline reports that the Labour Party,...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Susanna White — “Woman Walks Ahead”
Susanna White is a BAFTA award winning director who began her career making documentaries such as “Tell Me the Truth About Love.” She made her feature narrative debut with “Nanny McPhee...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Madeleine Sackler— “It’s a Hard Truth Ain’t It”
Madeleine Sackler is an Emmy-winning director and producer whose credits include “The Lottery,” “Dangerous Acts Starring the Unstable Elements of Belarus,” and a second upcoming Tribeca...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Kate Davis — “Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland”
Kate Davis is an Emmy and Peabody-award winning filmmaker whose film “Southern Comfort” won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and First Prize at Hot Docs. Her other credits include “The...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Melissa Miller Costanzo — “All These Small Moments”
Filmmaker Melissa Miller Costanzo’s films have been featured in IFP Film Week and the American Black Film Festival. She previously directed the short film “The Busker,” produced projects such...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Melissa Haizlip— “Mr. SOUL!”
Melissa Haizlip is an award-winning filmmaker whose credits include the short film “You’re Dead to Me,” which she produced, and her directorial feature-length debut, “Mr. SOUL!” The latter...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Nancy Schwartzman — “Roll Red Roll”
Nancy Schwartzman is a documentary film director, producer, and media strategist who uses storytelling and technology to create safer communities for women and girls. She directed short doc “The...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Mitzi Peirone — “Braid”
A model, actress, and director, Mitzi Peirone’s directorial debut premiered at Art Basel in 2015. Her directing credits include the short films “Chaosmos” and “Vesperlings.” “Braid” is...
Hannah Fidell’s “The Long Dumb Road’ Acquired by Universal Pics Group
Hannah Fidell’s latest film has found a home. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Content Group snagged the North American rights to “The Long Dumb Road,” Deadline reports. The road trip...
Weekly Update for April 20: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
“Little Pink House” Films About Women Opening This Week Little Pink House — Written and Directed by Courtney Moorehead Balaker Based on a true story, a small-town paramedic named Susette...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Eva Vives — “All About Nina”
Eva Vives won Best Short at the Sundance and Cannes in 2000 with “Five Feet High and Rising,” a short she cast, edited, and produced. She followed that up with a feature she co-wrote, “Raising...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Emma Forrest — “Untogether”
Emma Forrest is a columnist, novelist, screenwriter, and director. Her novels include “Namedropper,” “Thin Skin,” and “Cherries in the Snow,” and she penned the acclaimed memoir “Your...
Romola Garai to Make Feature Directorial Debut with “Outside”
Romola Garai is stepping behind the camera again. Best known for her roles in period dramas such as “Suffragette,” “The Hour,” and “Emma,” the actress is set to make her feature...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Hagar Ben Asher — “Dead Women Walking”
Hagar Ben Asher is the writer-director of features “The Slut” and “The Burglar.” Her work has screened at festivals such as Cannes, Telluride, Rotterdam, Moscow, and Warsaw. Ben Asher has...
Trailer Watch: A Sexual Assault Is the Beginning of the Story in “Angels Wear White”
Two schoolgirls find themselves at the center of a scandal in “Angels Wear White.” Written and directed by Vivian Qu, the China-set drama sees pre-teen friends Xiaowen (Zhou Meijun) and Xinxin...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Marilyn Ness — “Charm City”
Marilyn Ness is a two-time Emmy, Peabody, and DuPont winning filmmaker who has produced and directed documentary film and television for over 15 years. A member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts...
Sundance Film Fest: London 2018’s Feature Lineup Is 58 Percent Women-Directed
Some of the biggest hits out of Park City are heading to the UK. The program for Sundance Film Festival: London 2018 has been announced, and those who didn’t make it out to Utah in January will be...
NYC Mayor’s Office Reveals Details of $5M Fund for Women in Film and Theater
The New York City Mayor’s Office and the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) have disclosed the details for their $5 million MOME Women’s Fund, a grant program for filmmakers,...
Cannes Adds Titles to Competition, Ratio of Women Directors Worsens
The 2018 Cannes Film Festival bungled its chance to make its Competition lineup a bit more women-friendly. Per Variety, the fest added three titles to the program, none of which are from female...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Marianna Palka — “Egg”
Marianna Palka is an actress and filmmaker from Glasgow, Scotland. Her film “Bitch” sold at Cannes after its 2017 Sundance premiere, and her film “Good Dick” was nominated for the Grand Jury...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Cynthia Lowen — “Netizens”
Cynthia Lowen is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker and award-winning writer. She is the producer and writer of “Bully,” a 2011 feature documentary following five kids and families through “a year in...
Gabrielle Union Signs First Look Deal with Sony Pictures TV
Gabrielle Union is well on her way to becoming a mogul. According to Deadline, the “Being Mary Jane” star and producer has inked a first look deal with Sony Pictures TV. The two-year agreement...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Meredith Danluck — “State Like Sleep”
Meredith Danluck has exhibited at the Liverpool Biennial, Reina Sofia Museum, MoMA, PS1 Museum, and Venice Biennale. Her short films, feature documentaries, and experimental films have screened at a...
Angela Bassett and Patricia Arquette in Talks to Star in Cindy Chupack’s “Otherhood”
Angela Bassett and Patricia Arquette may be joining forces for Cindy Chupack’s feature directorial debut. The duo are in talks to topline “Otherhood,” a Netflix feature comedy about three...